POV Aron Brightcloud
Back at my apartment, I checked on Bones. Still sleeping, he didn’t react to my prodding. Not sure how to proceed, I left him on the Bed for now.
My focus turned to my newly bought goods. Starting with the trousers, I equipped each part. Finished with the Breastplate and the pauldrons, my searching hand moved over the table for the last piece I had yet to don.
But it only grabbed the empty air. Perplexed, I turned back, my eyes searching for the helmet. I knew it had been lying there a second ago. The table was empty. Wha-?
“Crunch” the distinct and dreaded sound of an artifact being eaten suddenly resounded behind me.
My helmet! Finishing my turn, I came face to face with Bones. Half of my precious new equipment had already vanished in his insatiable stomach.
Bones’s two fiery orbs mustered me with the intensity of a starving child that had laid eyes on a gorgeous birthday-cake. Enamored with the prospect of something even more delicious than a helmet, he threw the rest of the piece absentmindedly to the side. Not waiting any longer he stepped in my direction, the mouth opening in anticipation of the soon to be had treat.
‘Bones, stop! Get a grip on yourself!’
Hearing my voice in his mind, his eyes cleared. Shaking his head, he scanned me and the surroundings anew.
‘Oh. Hi big brother! Do you have something to eat for me? I am so hungry!’
Inwardly, I shook my head in dejection. I would never escape my destiny, I would be poor for all eternity. Luckily, I had opted for the regeneration rune. Looking at the damage done to helmet, the rune would need a day or two to fix it, but at least I wouldn’t have to buy a new helmet.
‘Soon, Bones, Soon. We will go hunting in the next few days. Than you will be able to eat to your hearts-content! How do you feel? What is the last thing you can remember?’
Bones moved back into his typical thinker pose.
‘We had walked down the stairs toward the boss room, and then my memories stopped. There seemed to be something purely evil down there! I don’t know how I know, but I feel really strongly about it. A monstrosity that we need to purge from earth I-’
‘It’s okay Bones, you took care of it!’ I quickly interceded. We didn’t want a relapse in the middle of the academy!
Luckily he calmed down, having heard my words.
‘Quite a bit has happened. Let me show you through our soul-connection. Thats more comprehensive.’
I showed him his transformation but left out the death of Anna and Fenrix. I only verbally informed him with a shortened recount of their demise and how I had turned the problem into “fortune”. At first I had debated to not tell him at all, but he needed to learn about the uglier truths of the world. At the same time, I didn’t want him to know about the details. In certain ways he had the fragility of a child, it would hurt and change him, loosing a part of his childish behavior. At some point he would realize that he had been the cause of all of this. At the moment, he still looked at it with the view of a bystander.
That was okay. I wanted him to be “innocent” a while longer, I could first teach him other skills. This might be not as strategical or efficient as I normally operated, but I was still human. I didn’t want a tool, but my little brother. In a way, he protected me as well as I protected him, reminding me of how to be human, not giving in completely into my more efficient routines.
Obviously my little brother felt quite upset about what had happened to Anna and Fenrix, he had liked them very much.
‘I-I am so sorry, big brother. I didn’t want them to die nor for you having to kill them.’ His former erected skull hung at an dejected angle.
‘It’s okay, Bones. Sometimes, bad things simply happen, you can’t avoid them. The big question is now, will you make use of this incident to push yourself forward and become the skeleton you always wanted to be? Or will you let yourself be weighted down by the events and sink into a sea of self-pity? One of these choices will honor Anna’s death, the other will make it an unwarranted tragedy. Which one will you choose?’
Having heard my words, I recognized the exact moment Bones found his answer. His broken form straightened and the dimmed fires in his eye-sockets blazed with renewed vigor.
‘Good. Let’s make sure that Anna’s and Fenrix’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Let’s show the entire world what we can become!’
‘Yes Boss, we will show them all!’ Good. He was back on track. I quickly showed him the rest of my memories to let him catch up. Bones knew now what I planned to do and switched back to his ghost form. He understood I needed time for myself.
My ghostly towel of voraciousness floated off to exercise his spying abilities. He would stay in the tower but leave me alone for the time-being.
The next step was to consolidate my power. The pill had to work.
From the attached manual I understood that I had to simply swallow the pill. My body would do the rest.
I slipped it into my mouth. The pill vanished in my stomach. I lay down on my bed, focusing on myself. Soon warmth permeated my entire body. Something changed, I couldn’t really describe what but an unknown part of my body had shifted, letting me feel more comfortable. I had never realized it but I had been in a constant state of inflicting tiny wounds on myself. Now that my body had actually gotten used to the energy to a certain degree that had stopped, and with it came relaxation.
I succeeded! I righted myself and called my inborn energies. It pushed through my roots flowing to my arms, a part of it leaked as usual into my body but this time the damage was more negligible. The body felt better in tune with it, accepting the energy. I even felt a bit more energized. Naturally, it didn’t solve the problem completely. When the saturation had reached a certain percentage, the pain once more arrived.
Yet this was a clear step forward. Now I could cast stronger spells more often and operate for a longer time without backlash on my body!
I couldn’t wait to train, testing out the limits of my improved body. This fit well into my plans, soon I would join young marchioness Nightshield’s group. I needed to show a certain strength to show my worth.
_______
POV Amanda Brightcloud
At last she had reached the manor of marquess Redwood. Amanda had been traveling the last week without a break to reach his lands. Deliberately she hadn’t used the teleporters. The general population shouldn’t know of her arrival or be able to later build a connection between her and the incident.
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Standing on a ledge, she looked down on the valley that accommodated marquess Redwoods headquarters. She could see the walls and the small castle manned with guards from here. Her eyes smoldered with barely suppressed fury. How could he dare to poison her son?! He would pay for it.
Yet she also blamed herself. She had misjudged the situation. Thinking that the pressure of her husband would be enough, she had opted to not act herself. In her delusional belief, she had thought that she could leave her dark past behind and let others take care of the problems. She had been wrong and her son had paid the price. No more. It was time to let certain people remember that nobody touched her family without a cost.
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POV Marquess Redwood
The marquess Rovan Redwood was furious. His imbecile of a son had done the one thing he had ordered him not to. He had hurt Aron Brightlcoud. The son of the one woman that Rovan feared like no other. The mere thought made him shudder. He could still remember the moment he had lain broken before her. The old memories of his youth vivid as if they had transpired yesterday.
“Never interfere with me or mine again, or I promise you, that you will cease to exist. Do not think that anything can shield you from my wrath, young marquess.” Her voice had been completely apathetic. At that moment, all thoughts of revenge had died in his mind. He knew the only thing that would come from those ideas would be pain and suffering. There was no way for him to go up against such overwhelming strength.
And yet his son had done exactly that. He would kill him with his own hands had the weasel not already ran away! With impotent rage, Rovan looked out the window before he turned towards his office’s door.
“Take everything! Pack it and prepare it for transport. Leave nothing behind! Pay special attention to the research documents!” His only chance was to flee as far away as he could. His new masters wouldn’t be happy, but he had no illusions that they would protect him from this catastrophe. Most likely they would take the research and sell him out afterwards. No, he had to vanish! Everything was better than to-
“Woow, the sun shines bright. The surroundings are especially beautiful today.” One of the servants had stopped working and gazed out the window.
A cold shudder ran down Rovan’s back. No! She had already arrived! This couldn’t be possible! He immediately checked his master-key and turned on the defensive formations of the manor. The device had the appearance of a bracer with a magical touch display, letting him control and observe a part of the defensive installations from where he stood. A deep hum could be heard as they came to life. Throughout the entire castle energy flooded the lines with the green glow of the wood element. Defensive devices wired to life on the walls and in the corridors. Every guard in the castle suddenly heard a ghostly voice through their enchanted communication devices.
“Attention guards, we are under attack. Immediately man the stations, shut the gates. Unknown people are to be attacked on sight.” The before orderly activities suddenly turned to chaos as the civilians tried to get towards the pre-defined security areas while the guards secured the checkpoints.
Rovan immediately left his study. “Leave everything, take the research-data and follow me, we have to go!”
His master-key had a holographic overview of the stationed guards and the number of the secure checkpoints. He quickly checked it. Good, everything seemed to be secure he-
A breaking sound echoed through the vicinity, immediately followed by one of the checkpoints winking out of existence. No! That shouldn’t be possible, he had built the defensive structures especially against her element. How could she have so easily broken through them?!
His measured steps increased to a panicked run. He had to get away from here! Every few steps his defensive numbers dwindled. One guard after the other died. Had he not had his overview, he wouldn’t even been be aware of it. No noise could be heard. For all the information his own senses told him, there was not even a fight. The guards simply died, the defensive spells not having any protective effect whatsoever.
At last the portal room arrived in his view. Yet somehow it wasn’t running!
“What is taking you so long?! Start it up now!”
The Magician responsible looked exasperated. “My lord, I don’t know what is going on. The portal can’t connect to any destination. Something is scrambling the guiding spells!”
Rovan blanched, she must have jammed the area. How did she know of his secret long range teleporter?! What should he do now…
He had only one chance left. Rovan needed to send a message to his new masters, the successful experiment hopefully important enough for them to at least try to get him. Most likely they would not protect him, but they were his only chance of survival now. He needed to stall for time.
The experimental defensive formations! They would stall her! He quickly ran back to his study, sent the message and started the experimental formations up. While he was doing that, an eerie silence laid itself over the castle. With a start he realized that he couldn’t hear a single soul, not even the birds chirped anymore.
Rovan checked his master-key. It was empty. All his personal had died. Following his instinct he suddenly looked up at the entrance.
There she stood. Amanda Brightcloud. Lady of the Barony of Brightcloud. The public knowledge portrayed her as a kind and caring person. Rovan was one of the few who knew her actual identity and the secret mission her house had once been pledged to. Hunter of the Fallen, Executor of the wretched souls that betrayed the empire. There had been a reason that the empire had emerged from the culling of the fallen gods so unscathed in the far past. Where the previous emperor had stood out in the open, fighting them in the light. The house of Brightcloud had done its part in the shadows, decimating countless evil worshipers, robbing the old gods of their follower-ship and power.
That had been long ago. A big part of Brightclouds strength had been whittled away over the following generations, leaving the Brightclouds as only a hull of their former self. There must have been other powers at work as well, but Rovan didn’t know the specifics. In the past he had been one of those foolish enough to think that the weakened Brightlcouds would be easy pickings, Amanda had thoroughly absolved him of that misconception. As a paragon of strength she had utterly destroyed him, showing him why her house still hadn’t fallen.
Now she had come to take his head. Rovan, marquess of Redwood, stood straighter. He needed to portrait surety. The new Formations had to work until help arrived!
______
POV Amanda Brightcloud
Amanda stepped into the marquess’s study, observing him as he stood seemingly self-confident in his little formation.
“Rovan, you know what awaits you. Any last things you want to say before I end you?” Her burning fury had evolved. Now a glacial coldness that didn’t allow her prey to live any longer.
“Amanda, this wasn’t my fault! My foolish son acted without my consent!” He tried to talk himself out for one last time.
Aron’s Mother shook her head. “You know very well that you are responsible for your son’s actions. I had told you in the past what would happen if you crossed my path again.”
Her enemy's mask of confidence crumbled “Y-You won’t easily be able to pass this formation I have especially built it against your light magic! Even as an Archmage you will need time to break through! And soon my masters will arrive, you have no chance!”
Amanda smiled at the delusional man. Her golden eyes taking him in for the last time.
“Rovan, do you really think your message made it out of this valley? No, naïve marquess, nobody will come to help you.”
Most of his hopes left him when he heard her words. At least he had still the new defensive formation.
Amanda seemed to read his thoughts.
“Why do you think all your henchmen and other enemies never stood a chance against me? Or why I so easily breached your defenses?”
Her golden eyes glowed brighter and brighter.
“Rovan do you know what happens if one has complete power over all the light and takes it away?”
She didn’t let him answer. “Exactly, Darkness descends.”
Amanda’s eyes suddenly turned pitch black. All light in the vicinity vanished, plunging the whole study into complete darkness.
____
Finished with her task, Amanda left the now empty castle of Redwood behind. The formation of Rovan had immediately crumbled, facing the assault of her darkness. Even in his last seconds, the man had not been willing to believe how she had broken his seemingly impervious formation so easily. In retro-respect it was funny that nobody ever realized the connection between light and darkness. They were the two sides of the same coin, completely connected. Being the lord of one gave her control over the other as well. Over time, she had perfected its use, making her in fact the first double Archmage in history to her knowledge. This was the legacy of her family. The reason they were so feared by their enemies.
After some thoughts, she left the documents of Rovan alone. At first she had wanted to find out more and clean her son’s name, but in the end Amanda felt that the cost out-weighted the benefits. Aron’s problems would persist either way. On the other hand, the public would realize that it was possible to manipulate the familiar bonding ceremony, that would lead to loads of people who would try to achieve the same in their egoistic craving for power.
As someone who had once sworn an oath to defend the empire, she couldn’t proceed with her plan. Shaking her head, she summoned a light falcon and sent it off into the distance. She knew that the nearby stationed inquisitor truly believed in her calling. The knowledge would be safe with her. The magical construct would lead the inquisitor here immediately.